Stress at Ferrari as Leclerc Overtakes Hamilton in Chaotic Spanish Grand Prix
The Spanish Grand Prix proved to be a dramatic and telling race for Ferrari, with Lewis Hamilton as soon as once more ordered to maneuver apart for teammate Charles Leclerc within the opening laps. Regardless of a powerful launch off the grid, Lewis Hamilton struggled considerably with tyre degradation, prompting Ferrari to instruct the seven-time world champion to yield place early within the race.
Nico Rosberg, the Briton’s former Mercedes teammate and the 2016 Method 1 World Champion, described Lewis Hamilton’s race as “horrible” whereas analysing his efficiency. Hamilton finally crossed the road in sixth place, ending behind Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber—a consequence that solely intensified issues about his present type at Ferrari.
In the meantime, Charles Leclerc made the a lot of the late-race Security Automobile intervention to shut the hole to Max Verstappen, finally securing a spot on the rostrum. Nevertheless, former F1 crew supervisor and analyst Peter Windsor raised security issues over the aggressive transfer that led to Leclerc overtaking the Purple Bull driver.
Charles Leclerc Slammed for “Extraordinarily Harmful” Maneuver on Verstappen at 330kph
Windsor, talking throughout a livestream on his YouTube channel, highlighted a very alarming incident in the course of the closing laps. Max Verstappen had requested contemporary tyres in the course of the Security Automobile interval, however Purple Bull fitted him with the arduous compound—an obvious strategic miscalculation.
Capitalising on the superior grip of his medium tyres, Charles Leclerc drew alongside Max Verstappen on the primary straight because the Dutchman momentarily misplaced traction. Based on Peter Windsor, the Ferrari driver then drifted throughout the monitor at excessive velocity, barely making contact with the Purple Bull. The previous Method One crew and sponsorship supervisor believed this transfer was not solely harmful however among the many riskiest seen in latest reminiscence, evaluating it to an identical controversial incident involving Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso on the 2022 US Grand Prix in Austin.
Peter Windsor acknowledged that though the contact appeared unintended, the transfer itself was reckless and will have been instantly reviewed by race officers. He claimed that even minor contact at such speeds—reportedly round 330kph—may have led to disastrous penalties.
Ferrari to Introduce Upgrades as Lewis Hamilton Struggles to Match his teammate
Lewis Hamilton’s continued difficulties with the SF-25’s dealing with have been once more evident on the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. In the course of the race, he continuously reported steadiness points over crew radio, whereas Charles Leclerc additionally acknowledged post-race that the automobile’s behaviour was unpredictable all through the Grand Prix.
Because the efficiency hole between the 2 Ferrari drivers grows more and more obvious, the Maranello-based crew is now pushing ahead with a brand new spherical of technical upgrades. These updates are anticipated to handle the drivability points which have plagued Hamilton and to enhance total steadiness, particularly in long-run tempo.
Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya additionally weighed in on Lewis Hamilton’s state of affairs, suggesting that a part of the issue may stem from persistent miscommunications together with his engineering crew. Montoya has proposed that Hamilton could profit from a change in race engineers—an thought that would achieve traction if outcomes proceed to lag behind these of Charles Leclerc.
The Briton had entered the Spanish Grand Prix hoping to safe his first podium in Ferrari colors, however as an alternative discovered himself watching from behind because the Monegasque took the highlight as soon as extra. With upgrades on the horizon and tensions simmering, all eyes might be on whether or not Ferrari can present Lewis Hamilton with the instruments he wants to show his season round.
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